The Union Street School was constructed in 1881. It was located at Union and Lincoln Streets and served as a high school until 1891 when it was changed over to an elementary school. It continued being used as a school until 1961 before it was finally torn down a few years later.

VJ Repeat - Nice vintage slice of downtown Johnstown from about 1912 showing Bedford, Main and Clinton Streets. On the right - the Swank Building and on the left is the old Hub Store - I see having a big sale - this is where the Senior Center is now. The building the Trolley is passing is were the old Wertz Drug Store was - one of the few buildings that survived the 1889 Flood only to be torn down in the 1970's.

One of the trucks belonging to the Ferguson Meat Packing Company located in Cambria City - they took over the old Germania Brewery building - it later became Morris Paper Company and is now where JAHA is.

This is taken in what is now a small parking lot next to Point Stadium. The buildings you see behind the truck are part of the old Rolling Mill Mines.

VJ Repeat - A rare shot of the big Penn Traffic Store Fire in Downtown Johnstown - August 28 and August 29, 1905. The fire completely destroyed a whole chunk of the business district last seen HERE. As with most treasures - I found this picture in a box of assorted photos - most of them just regular family shots - that a friend of mine gave me to go through. This just goes to show - you never know what you might run across.

Sunday, May 21, 2017

VJ repeat - A reader sent this great shot of my own neighborhood - at the corner of Fairfield Avenue - looking up Strayer Street in Morrellville. What makes this even better is on the right hand side - I finally have a proper picture of Bruno's Market. Charlie Bruno and my grandfather John Cacicia were best of friends. In fact - Charlie was my fathers Confirmation Sponsor. You would think I would have lots of pictures of the old market. But no - there are none in my family albums.
When I think of Bruno's - the first thing that comes to mind is chocolate popsicles. Remember how the wrappers were open on the bottom - you couldn't tell the difference in color between the chocolate ones and the root beer ones.

Here are the officers and administrators of Johnstown Lodge 1614, Order of the Sons of Italy in 1937, just six years after the group was founded.
Left to right - front row: Joseph Mancusa, Angelo Falva, Samuel Marracco, Joseph Grande and Nunzio Caeti.
Second Row: John DiMiglia, Sam Cannarella, Nina Alfredo, Peter Grassi, James Patanella and Philip Ciraula.
Back Row: Joseph Barbera, Tony Cascalda, Joseph Di Bartolo, Joseph Nicandro and Thomas Angelucci.
It was just a few years after this picture was taken that the fast-growing lodge purchased its present home on Baumer Street.

Defeated, but still able to "laugh it off" the Riverside pupils, left to right: Carol Zimmerman, Jimmy Albright, Carol Ann Svaboda, Janet Hartman and Carol Grove. In the back row are Richard Hite, Barbara Hindman, Gail Hopfer, Richard Albright and Larry Haynes.

Lorain School will receive an encyclopedia and Riverside a globe. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Fleet of Penn Traffic Trucks next to the playground at the Point. This has to be the early 1920's because the stadium isn't there yet. There is still the small wooden grandstand and playground there - that they used before they built a proper stadium. Also, note that behind the trucks on the left hand side is one of the buildings for Rolling Mill Mines on the hillside above the Point which was still in operation at the time.